“You have a lot of investors that want to buy these houses to rent because rentals are so hot commodity,” Orozco says.

Orange county rents are the ninth highest in the nation. And the millennial generation is hit the hardest.

“My daughters dated people who live with their parents because they can’t afford to live in an apartment and save money to buy a condo later.” Melisa Varon says.

Julie Cegielski says she expects her kids to move back home after college. “I rent a townhouse in Newport Beach near the schools so my kids can walk to school. We’re on the golf course, which is really nice. But our rent is probably double of most people’s house payments.”

Apartments.com offers these tips:

Look for special offers like free first-month rent or waived move-in fees